Being at home can feel like a drag while social distancing, but it doesn’t have to with a good book (or a few)! Here are some reads, sorted alphabetically by genre, from UW–Madison alumni that you’ll be sure to love. Grab a blanket, curl up in a comfy spot, and get reading!
Children’s
- Big Words for Little Geniuses coauthored by Susan Solie Patterson ’79, MFA’82 and James Patterson
- Indian No More coauthored by Traci McClellan-Sorell JD’01
- Littler Women: A Modern Retelling by Laura Schaefer ’01
- Spark: A Guide to Ignite the Creativity Inside You by Andrea Bahe Debbink ’05 and illustrated by Emily Kilsdonk Balsley ’01
- Sport: Ship Dog of the Great Lakes illustrated by Renée Graef ’80
Fiction
- Hello Girls coauthored by Brittany Cavallaro MFA’11
- Poison Pen by Bill Zaferos ’81
- Spine of the Dragon by Kevin Anderson ’83
- The Bookseller by Cynthia Fisher Swanson ’87
- The Other’s Gold by Elizabeth Ames Staudt ’03
- What We Were Promised by Lucy Tan MFA’16
Film/TV
- America to Me starring Jessica Stovall ’07 and executive-produced by Justine Nagan ’00
- Chasing the Moon directed by Robert Stone ’80
- Saint Judy directed by Sean Hanish ’90 and executive-produced by Kelly Kahl ’89 and George ’80 and Pamela Hamel
- The Perfection produced by Stacey Reiss ’92
Memoir
- Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator by Gregory Jaczko PhD’99
- For the Good of the Game: The Inside Story of the Surprising and Dramatic Transformation of Major League Baseball by Bud (Allan) Selig ’56
- Magical Realism for Non-Believers: A Memoir of Finding Family by Anika Fajardo ’97
- She Wants It: Desire, Power, and Toppling the Patriarchy by Jill Soloway ’87
- So Here’s the Thing … Notes on Growing Up, Getting Older, and Trusting Your Gut by Alyssa Mastromonaco ’98
Nonfiction
- Antibiotics: What Everyone Needs to Know by Mary Wilson MD’71
- Arsho Baghsarian: A Life in Shoes by Helene Verin ’77
- Faces of Recovery: Treatments that Help PTSD, TBI, and Moral Injury by Eric Newhouse ’67
- Hot Comb by Ebony Flowers MS’12, PhD’17
- Infamous Mothers by Sagashus Levingston MA’09, PhD’19
- Settlin’: Stories of Madison’s Early African America Families by Muriel Simms ’68, MS’75, PhD’02
Poetry
- Homie by Danez Smith ’12
- Reenactments by Hai-Dang Phan MA’05, PhD’12
- Simples by KateLynn Hibbard MA’88
Self-Help
- Me, Myself & Ideas: The Ultimate Guide to Brainstorming Solo coauthored by Carrie Gilette Anton ’00
- Outspoken: Why Women’s Voices Get Silenced and How to Set Them Free by Veronica Rueckert ’96
- The New Gardener’s Handbook by Daryl Beyers ’89
- You’re It: Crisis, Change, and How to Lead When It Matters Most coauthored by Leonard Marcus ’73, MS’74
Want more? Visit goodreads.com/wisalumni to see more books by UW–Madison alumni and faculty.
Are you an author and a UW–Madison graduate? Submit your book(s) here to be listed on the Wisconsin Alumni Goodreads web page and put into consideration for On Wisconsin magazine.
